Brushing

Brushing

You’ll no doubt be aware that brushing your teeth, which removes the plaque that causes tooth decay and gum disease, is important. What you may not know is that how often you brush, how long you brush for, the kind of technique and toothbrush you use all matter too. To gain the maximum benefit from brushing your teeth, you should be brushing for at least two minutes morning and night, spending roughly 30 seconds on each quarter of your mouth.Think that sounds like too much hard work? Firing up your streaming service, playing your favourite two-minute pop song – think the likes of Blur’s “Song No.2” or “Mr Zebra” by Tori Amos – and brushing until the end is one fun way to make sure your teeth get all the cleaning they need.

It’s all in the technique

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give too much thought to how you brush your teeth, beyond squirting on some toothpaste, and brushing back and forth.

But as your dentist will tell you, how you brush your teeth matters a great deal. You should be cleaning your teeth systematically, starting at the back with the toothbrush bristle at the gum line or at a 45° angle, brushing gently in a circular motion, and finishing with a spit, not a rinse. If you have an electric toothbrush, you should be guiding the moving brush head slowly from tooth to tooth following the contours of the tooth and the curve of the gums.

Regardless of the brush you use, try to avoid brushing with too much force as this can damage the surface of your teeth. And as for the toothpaste? You only need a pea-sized amount to get the job done.

Tools of the trade

You are always best using a soft-bristled toothbrush with a small head and a flexible neck because this will most effectively remove plaque and debris from your teeth, without damaging your teeth and gums and drawing blood. Try to replace your brush at the first sign of wear-and-tear or every three months, whichever comes first, and if you’ve just had a cold, replace your toothbrush so you don’t get reinfected by the germs in the bristles.

If you have braces

It’s recommended that you brush after every meal, preferably using a toothbrush with a soft head to regularly clean away the food debris and plaque that can accumulate in the brackets. The best technique is to hold your brush at a 45-degree angle to the gums, much like a standard brushing technique, before moving on to brushing downwards to clean the top of the brackets and brushing upwards to clean the bottom section.

To visit a dentist and get your teeth checked, click here.

To read the original article, click here.

Source: Australian Dental Association

DISCLAIMER:

The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. Melton Dental House does not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the content.

The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional personal diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a dental or medical condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen on the Site.

Services we mentioned:

More Dental Articles

What Does Teledentistry Bring To Oral Health?

What Does Teledentistry Bring To Oral Health?

Tele. Such an interesting prefix. It communicates; it tells you. It’d probably be a homonym or a homophone or a homograph something like that if it wasn’t a prefix. At one time, it was a word. ‘Tele’ was the accepted spelling of the contraction of ‘television’ before...

read more

Great dental practice! Fong is a very experienced dentist acquiring all my dental needs and the nurse Emily helped my dentist experience a comfortable one. Highly recommend them.

Michael D.

Ready to get started?

Just fill in this form and we will be in touch

"*" indicates required fields

Patient Status*

Preferred Contact Method:

Preferred Contact Method:

Treatment:

Treatment*

Preferred Date:

DD slash MM slash YYYY

Preferred Time:

Preferred Time*
:

Great dental practice! Fong is a very experienced dentist acquiring all my dental needs and the nurse Emily helped my dentist experience a comfortable one. Highly recommend them.

Michael D.

After hearing numerous excellent reports about this clinic, I decided to visit myself. I must say that it was a fantastic experience, even better than I expected! The clinic is bright and modern, the receptionists and nurses are friendly and help to put you at ease. The dentist is gentle, knowledgeable and explains everything so thoroughly!

I highly recommend this clinic!
 

Rebecca S.

Practice Manager Rachel - Melton Dental House

Hi, you're chatting with Rachel. If you could please fill out all your details below, I will be in contact with you shortly.

Patient Status(Required)
Preferred Contact Method:
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Dental House Webinar

Achieving the Smile You Love Webinar

Thinking of upgrading your smile but not sure what to expect? Watch this webinar as Dr Antonoff takes you through 3 patients’ smiles he transformed right here in Melbourne.

Dental House Price List

Download Price List

Please enter your mobile number and email address so we can send you the price list via SMS and email along with some of our patients’ smile transformations in the next few minutes.

Get Free Price List

Please enter your details so we can sms and email you the price list in the next few minutes.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Achieving the Smile You Love Webinar

Thinking of upgrading your smile but not sure what to expect? Watch this webinar as Dr Antonoff takes you through 3 patients’ smiles he transformed right here in Melbourne

You have Successfully Subscribed!